THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL: BC High tops CM at Fenway Park

Tuesday

Nov 21, 2017 at 10:27 PMNov 22, 2017 at 9:55 AM

The Eagles beat the Knights, 32-16, as quarterback Will Bowen threw a pair of TD passes and ran for another score on Tuesday.

BOSTON – Seniors Will Bowen of Cohasset and Danny Abraham of Randolph put their talents on display one last time on Tuesday night, leading the BC High football team to a 32-16 win over Catholic Memorial at Fenway Park.

Bowen, the Eagles’ quarterback, accounted for three touchdowns, and Abraham ran 17 times for 146 yards and two scores as BC High (10-1) gained revenge for an excruciating playoff loss to CM (6-5) just 18 days prior.

“It was all about the seniors tonight; they responded really well,” Eagles coach Jon Bartlett said. “We played our brand of football. More importantly, everyone played for the seniors tonight.”

When the teams met in the Division 1 South semifinals at BC High on Nov. 3, the Eagles wasted a 20-0 lead and lost, 21-20, on a Hail Mary pass that found its way into Jarrett Martin’s hands with time expiring.

That touchdown tied the game, and CM won it on a do-over extra point after a BC High penalty negated a miss on the first try.

There was no such drama in this one as BC High led 13-2 at halftime and rolled to its first outright Catholic Conference crown since 2011. The Eagles finished 4-0 in league play.

“It’s great – these kids will have that memory with them for a lifetime,” Bartlett said. “We went 4-0 in the conference, 10-1 overall, our kids are going to walk out of Fenway Park tonight with their heads high, a memory forever.”

The win gave BC High a 38-17-1 lead in the all-time Thanksgiving series. CM won last year’s matchup, 41-27, to snap an 11-year Eagles winning streak that included a 13-10 BC High victory at Fenway in 2015.

Following a scoreless first quarter, BC High senior Tom Joyce forced a fumble on a tremendous hit on Catholic Memorial quarterback Nick Goffredo. Senior Elijiah Miranda recovered the ball at the CM 44.

Two plays later, Abraham put the Eagles on the scoreboard with a 32-yard touchdown run with 5:00 remaining in the half. The extra point was blocked and returned for two points by Catholic Memorial junior Hunter Tully, cutting BC High’s lead to 6-2.

Following a sensational stop by the Eagles’ defense, the offense took control at its own 21-yard line. Bowen led them back to the end zone, starting with a 63-yard run.

Bowen concluded the drive with a 3-yard TD run for 13-2 lead with 48 seconds left in the half.

The Eagles made it 19-2 on the opening drive of the second half as Abraham’s second TD, a 52-yard run, gave the Eagles more breathing room with 8:55 left in the third quarter.

The Knights finally responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended on a Goffredo 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Garrett McCarthy. A missed PAT left the deficit at 19-8 with 4:47 left in the third quarter.

Following the Knights score, BC High put the nail in the coffin with an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended in a sensational 19-yard TD reception by freshman Carter Rice to give the Eagles a commanding 25-8 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Rice later caught a 12-yard TD pass to make it 32-8 before CM tacked on a last-minute score with Brent Keogh throwing a 13-yard TD pass to Mike Brown.

The BC High defense was the difference all night, continuously putting pressure on the Knights and giving Goffredo no time in the pocket. BC High had six sacks as a unit.

Headlining this defensive group were Joyce (two sacks, forced fumble), Miranda (fumble recovery), Eamon Walsh (interception) and Bowen, who also starred at linebacker.

“Our defense was great tonight, especially with the offense having a slow start in the beginning,” Bartlett said. “They kept us in the game.”

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